Monthly Archives: February 2015

The debate as to whether utilise machine translation or human translation services remains unsolved. Google translate has been operational for quite some time, however of recent Google introduced real time translator while Microsoft recently rolled out Skype translator. The question however holds whether this translation apps work efficiently. There has been a long debate over time with both Google and Microsoft claiming that machine translation services work more efficiently and the translation agencies on the other hand reasoning to the contrary giving human translation as the best alternative/ option. Kevin Rawlinson of BBC tries to find out whether the translation apps really work. To complete the task that was set […]

You may think going to school and attaining a degree or academic skills in a particular field is enough to make you employable, for instance one may think being a skilful doctor enables him to work anywhere in the world. Perhaps no, the truth is that you may need a second language to increase your chances of being employed in a foreign country. while the global population is growing by leaps and bounds, the issue of unemployment is no doubt in any country in the world. In response to global unemployment problem, skilled personnel often find their ways outside their native countries in search for employment in foreign countries. Much […]

It’s difficult to know how important Interpretation and Translation are in the military until you share with a colleague serving in the military, read in the internet or be personally involved in a military operation in the foreign land. This is more so in the foreign land as it was the case with American military campaign in Iraq and Afghanistan respectively. To a civilian who has never engaged in military campaigns, it may be difficult to comprehend the pivotal role that translation and interpretation play in the country’s military. However, without the two, the military cannot execute its duties properly. The user manuals of military equipment and machinery all rely […]

Many will agree with me that sign language is perceived to be the language for people with special needs. This includes people with visual impairment, hearing impairment, or mental retardation. Sign language is a form of language which uses manual communication and body language to convey meaning, as opposed to acoustically conveyed sound patterns. This can involve handshakes, orientation and movement of hands, arms or body and facial expressions. There exist myriads of sign languages in the world. Every country has its own sign language and some have even more than one. This corrects the misconception that many hold that sign language is one and it’s international. Each country or […]

The social media is one of the leading communication platforms worldwide. The social media platforms include twitter, facebook, Google plus, LinkedIn, among others. Unlike the traditional media, the social media informs and connects users worldwide within the shortest time possible. This has been made possible by internet connections. The 21st century can be described as a century of technological revolution. It has experienced a remarkable upsurge in technology and a sea of innovations. The social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are among the unprecedented innovations that the world has experienced this century. The inventions and innovations in technology and the eventual rapid innovations in the social media have […]

This is a book by Edith Grossman an American Spanish-to-English literary translator who is praised for her distinguished translation of Spanish literature. Published in 2010, why translation matters argues for cultural importance of the translation and for a more encompassing and nuanced appreciation of the translator’s role. In her introduction, Edith Grossman writes, “My intention is to stimulate a new consideration of an area of literature that is too often ignored, misunderstood, or misrepresented.” According to Edith in this book, translation has unsurpassable importance as she writes; “Translation not only plays its important traditional role as the means that allows us access to literature originally written in one of the countless […]